As the Mindset Dojo initiative moves from its late-alpha phase toward beta, we’re inviting more people to train with us — to practice presence through mentorship and authorship.
That means more feedback.
Some of it we ask for.
Some of it just rolls in.
All of it teaches balance.
Lately I’ve been seeing feedback less like an evaluation and more like learning to ride a bike together.
It’s wobbly at first. Sometimes exhilarating. Sometimes we crash.
But every correction, every moment of imbalance, is a signal from the field.
Here are four dimensions I’m noticing that shape how feedback flows — in the dojo, at home, and in life.
1. Intention: The Direction You’re Looking
When you first learn to ride, your bike follows your eyes.
If your intention is clear — eyes up, scanning where you want to go — feedback from the handlebars, the pedals, and even the wind helps you stay upright.
But if you’re staring at the pothole or the past mistake, every bit of feedback pulls you off course.
Before giving or receiving feedback, it helps to ask: Where am I looking right now?
2. Informedness: The Feel of the Pedal
There’s a difference between someone who’s read about cycling and someone who’s fallen off, scraped their knees, and gotten back on.
The experienced rider knows how resistance feels through the pedal — how a small shift in balance changes everything.
When feedback comes from lived experience, it’s like guidance from someone who’s actually felt the road under their wheels.
When it doesn’t, it’s theory shouted from the sidewalk.
3. Relational Context: The Hand on the Seat
Remember learning with someone running beside you, holding the seat as you wobbled?
When there’s trust, that hand steadies you. You sense they want you to find your own balance.
Without trust, the same hand feels like control — and you tense up, which makes falling more likely.
Feedback given across trust builds balance. Feedback given across fear breeds rigidity.
4. Alignment of Purpose: Riding the Same Route
If one person’s pedaling toward the park and the other’s heading for the mountain, even good advice causes friction.
Alignment is like agreeing on the route. Once that’s clear, the feedback — speed up, ease off, watch the turn — all points toward the same horizon.
When purposes diverge, the same signal can feel like sabotage.
Training Presence in the Feedback Loop
In Mindset Dojo, feedback is part of the ride.
We train to notice the micro-adjustments — the lean, the wobble, the tension in the grip — without losing curiosity or connection.
When feedback comes, something I’m finding useful is to pause and ask:
- What’s being stirred in me right now?
- What intention do I sense behind their words?
- How well-informed and aligned are we in this moment?
- What does this reflection reveal about my own clarity?
Presence isn’t a destination; it’s the balance we train for with every turn of the wheel.
Feedback is how we ride together — and how we sense when the next threshold level is approaching.
⛩️🌿
